Chocolate Birthday Cake »
Joey said it tasted like German chocolate cake, and Joaquin loved it and died for the double frosting. Here’s the SCD (except for the cacao) recipe.
Stories from
The Best of 2013 »
A video celebrating our favorite moments, people, and places from 2013
Moments at the Magic Room »
Moments of love between Joaquin and his friends in the Son-Rise playroom.
Nurturing the Team’s Motivation »
Resources I created to help our volunteers magnify their motivation and impact before each play session, and assess their facilitation skills within our program's curriculum.
Dazzling Madame Bovary »
I used ABM’s essential of subtlety to help Joaquin perceive non-verbal communication, and he surprised me spontaneously deciding to perform charades for me.
Inspiring Deeper Interaction »
Interactive loop games are perfect to pursue subtle related variation. Here I offer several ideas around a turn-taking game for my team of Son-Rise volunteers.
A rock-star volunteer’s 1st playroom session »
It looks like they’ve been friends for a while and she’s facilitated social goals for years. But it’s Erin’s first solo session and she’s only had 1 hour of feedback training!
Inspiring Social Referencing: Following Eyes »
This video shows Aaron motivating Kiki to perceive and practice following somebody else’s eyes. He is playful and consistent and Kiki quickly starts to get it.
Easing Into My Resistance »
Choosing love and ease in order to connect with Kiki while joining him in one of his repetitive activities.
Our Journey (part 3) »
A celebration of love three years into our Son-Rise program. Watch our amazing Team Joaquin and the miracles and joy they’ve helped us reach for our child.
Spontaneously Role Playing for the First Time »
He had never role-played before. Most of his non-verbal abilities were stagnant for years until I started using ABM essentials to awaken this area of his brain
Radical Acceptance for the Son-Rise Parent »
When mentally “failing” as a Son-Rise parent, remember: Perfection is not required. Rules that separate us in the moment from our kids are not helpful. Self acceptance helps us AND our children grow.
A Moment of Grace »
A memorable, potent, clearly multi-dimensional experience of heaven on earth, gratitude, and joyful closure.
Spontaneous Gorgeous Symbolic Gestures »
Watching this was so exciting!… Even to Heidi, who at the time didn’t know much about the gestures goal… It’s been just two weeks of very subtle “work” giving Joaquin’s brain little pieces to figure out symbolic gestures, and today he spontaneously gestures “move the couch down”, then creates another gesture reproducing with his hands […]
Practicing Movement with Attention »
Life examples of how ABM's 1st essential propelled us with sustained eye contact, verbal context in communication breakdowns, and understanding of emotions.
Inspiring Growth Without Requests »
A tweak to our Son-Rise program replacing requests by opportunities for spontaneous action. In these videos, Aaron’s playfulness alone motivates Kiki to imitate him.
Hey! »
Joaquin welcomes Aaron DeLand in the playroom, and I have to celebrate remembering how challenging transitions (and new people) used to be for him.
Suspending My Resistance »
Becoming aware and reversing the "mental no" and minimal response I give to Kiki's crazy and repetitive comments to give joy a chance and connect deeply with him.
Madame Bovary’s Shop »
A fun game designed around Joaquin’s interest for shopping that motivated him to practice non-verbal communication.
Becoming a Teacher »
I’m currently discovering the natural talents of our new friend Megane… Acting on feedback I gave on her last play session with Joaquin (i.e. offer more actions vs. questions or “I don’t know” responses), for her second session she went with the intention to go 100% for whatever idea comes to her head. And I’m […]
The Purpose of Zoning Out »
Disconnecting is not of lesser value than being interactive; just one more way of being in the moment, and it has a purpose for autistic individuals and everybody else.
Not Joining Until Ready »
This morning I got in the playroom while in a slight bad mood with Joaquin. I realized I didn’t want to give him control over me; he had nagged me plenty in the morning and I had resisted very uncomfortably. So as soon as I went in, pencil and paper on hand, Joaquin asked me […]
Back to Spanish »
Things are getting tricky and interesting at Joaquin’s house… Nineteen months after asking me to stop talking Spanish (in order to focus his verbal development), he has decided that he wants to re-learn “Español”. It started with this 5-year-old high-pitched voice nagging me every third word I said because I said it in English, and […]
Hombre Araña »
A playroom game that motivated Kiki to stretch his attention span, body coordination, and physical interaction.
Building With Daring Actions »
Playing with Kiki while holding the intention to use daring actions to build motivation for myself or for variations around repetitive activities or conversations.